August 9 Siglufjordur

Greg Mortimer at his mooring.

Siglufjordur - a stunning location

Bottom L: in the background high on the hills are berms
to mitigate avalanches

Herrings! Salt of the earth – or sea. The herring is an ancient fish having changed little since the Jurassic period over 100 million years ago. The reason why these fish have survived when others have become extinct is their shoaling behaviour; they effectively act like one giant organism of up to billions of induvial fish. After all that time of cleverness, modern fishing techniques may well be their downfall as millions can be scooped up in huge nets all together.  These fish were once the mainstay of many villages in Iceland and particularly Siglufjordur, once the centre of herring fishing in the North Atlantic. In Siglufjordur they once provided over half the country’s export income in herring products. Sadly by the 1970s they were pretty much overfished. In the ‘hey day’ however, they dried, salted and smoked them, extracted oil and cooked them down for meal to be used mainly as cattle fodder.  We wandered through the old herring processing works turned museum and saw where and how the fish were processed before being barrelled for export. It was quite an eye opener. 

Herring museum. Bottom R: oil separators

It was a very interesting morning, but that afternoon was a highlight! After lunch we set course for Drangey Island, a privately owned island in northern Iceland. The weather was misty and moody with a little rain that added to the magic of being once again slipping across the surface of the sea immersed in Nature in all her glory.  

The island is the remnant of a 700,000‑year‑old volcano.  But the real story? According to Icelandic legend, “two night-prowling giants, a man and a woman, were traversing the fjord with their cow when they were surprised by the bright rays of daybreak. As a result of exposure to daylight, all three were turned into stone.” Drangey represents the cow and Kerling – that gorgeous stac shimmering jade-like in reflection (supposedly the female giant, the name means "Old Hag") is to the south of it. Karl (the male giant) was to the north of the island, but it seems he disappeared long ago.

Not only were we surrounded by birds, the jellyfish were all around our zodiacs including the quite startling Lion’s mane jellyfish, also known as the giant jellyfish, arctic red jellyfish, one of the largest known species of jellyfish.

We met the Governor but were not invited to climb the cliff – way to dangerous in the rain.  We breathed a sigh of relief!

The cliffs towered above the flotilla of kayakers. What glorious views they had.

Kittiwakes cling the the merest suggestion of a ledge

Because of the proliferation of birds, Drangey was once a popular place for locals. Every spring, they visited the island to collect eggs and birds capturing in excess of 200,000 birds in a good season.  We met the Governor but were not invited to climb the cliff – way to dangerous in the rain.  We breathed a sigh of relief!

Atlantic puffins

Razor bill auk

Somewhat damp but very happy we eventually turned our zodiacs back towards the mothership as it emerged from the mist. It had been a day of exploring and learning – a perfect combination for we travellers.